NHS Teacher Awards

Congratulations to the following WHS Teachers for being recognized at our recent National Honor Society Banquet:

Student Speech by: Camryn Barton, Vice President

Teacher: Cindy Morris

NHS Pillar: Service

How does a teacher demonstrate service? The simple answer is by demonstrating dedication to her students, the school, and the people around her. However, this year’s recipient has done so much more than that. Mrs. Cindy Morris, our Intervention Specialist, has worked at Wilmington High School for three years. During that time, she has created a home for her students and has ensured they have become part of the Wilmington High School family. The amount of projects she and her students lead around the school are too many to count. These projects include overseeing our lunch recycling program, delivering copies for teachers, running a school-wide lost and found, completing cleaning errands, and working at the after school snack shack. With every endeavor, Mrs. Morris is there--smiling, encouraging, and helping her students realize their potential. Her students are familiar faces in the hallway, and we have Mrs. Morris to thank for that.But Mrs. Morris’s service has extended beyond the students in her class. She has been a friend to numerous people--including myself--while teaching the peer helping peer class. Allowing other students into her classroom has afforded us the chance to watch her interact with her students. Her genuine care and desire to support her students makes Mrs. Morris a role model. Mrs. Morris is an amazing woman. Her students can sometimes be impatient and emotional but she gives them a shoulder to lean on and accompanies them through every obstacle. Service stands for a person’s drive to put others before his or herself. Mrs. Morris, I want to thank you for everything you have done--for me, for your students, and for the school. There is no one else who deserves this award more than you. It is my pleasure to honor you with the National Honor Society’s Service Award.

Student Speech By: Jessica Angst, Treasurer

Teacher: John Gray

NHS Pillar: Leadership

Leadership is being able to establish respect and a following among individuals. When you google the definition of leadership synonyms also pop up: guidance, direction, and influence were among some of them. These are all characteristics of Mr. Gray. Whether it is in the classroom or at a sporting event he makes a difference. Usually people think that Mr. Gray is tough all the time, but one time at an away football game people started to leave because it started to rain and Mr. Gray saw me at the top of the stands. He came over with his granddaughter and shared an umbrella. He’s been through a lot and is still able to put on a strong face, and that takes a true leader. That is why we believe Mr. Gray deserves this year's Leadership award.

Student Speech By: Lindsey Murphy, President

Teacher: Tracy Worthington

NHS Pillar: Scholarship

One of the four pillars we will begin the awards with tonight, is scholarship. It consists of the commitment to learn, cultivation of mind and a person’s drive to seek knowledge, and the decision to put forth maximum effort to achieve the attributes of scholarship. When thinking about scholarship, one specific person comes to my mind. I have been given the privilege to witness her job as an intervention specialist. This comes with more obstacles and responsibilities than one would think, and before aiding in her classroom, more than I definitely thought.

She never ceases to believe in her students and is always helping them whenever she can, sometimes even coming to school on weekends to work on lesson plans for each of the kids she teaches. Her class consists of lessons formatted to help each student the way they need it. Even when her students struggle to understand a concept, her dedication to scholarship is evident in her refusal to give up on them. She has influenced not just the students in her own classroom, but those around her, even if she isn’t always aware of it. She is a person who teaches all of those around her to push through the struggles, both in academics and in life. With this, I would like to present Tracy Worthington the scholarship award.

Student Speech By: Averi Vance, Secretary

Teacher: Karen Merkle

NHS Pillar: Character

The third pillar of National Honor Society is one that distinguishes a person from another. It demands six important qualities: respect, responsibility, citizenship, trustworthiness, fairness, and caring. Our guidance counselors have busy jobs and are sometimes hard to get a hold of with there being 999 other students trying to get their attention. But there is always a constant support in the guidance office. She is there to entrust all of your important forms with or to help you as best she can because she cares for all students.

She first began her work at East End Elementary so for some of us she has been there throughout most of our lives. Most will comment on how her office always smells like a fresh batch of cookies. In my entire high school career, I have never seen her show frustration and she always holds a welcoming smile on her face. She is a motherly figure with her soft, kind voice and personality. Her compassion and patience is shown everyday with each unique problem she encounters. Her ability to take on responsibilities that may not even be her own are admirable. For this, we would like to award Mrs. Karen Merkle for her outstanding character.